Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and Easy

Kitchen Blinds 101: A Quick & Easy Guide

Kitchen Blinds 101

Kitchen blinds and kitchen curtains are the finishing touches to every kitchen. But when you’re looking for blinds for kitchen windows or kitchen blind ideas, it’s hard to know what to select to make sure they are perfect.

Should you be selecting shutters or blinds, or should it be venetians? What is the best material to use for kitchen window treatments? Can you have a curtain in your kitchen?

To work out how to choose kitchen blinds and curtains we asked Lovelight, a blinds and curtain specialist from Melbourne for all the answers and some fantastic examples. All images are the work of Lovelight.

Kitchen Blinds 101: A Quick & Easy Guide

Design isn’t difficult. It’s ultimately about making the right choices—hundreds and hundreds of choices, each one factoring in the others. You’ll also be glad to know the choices you make for one room likely won’t apply to the next. The kitchen, for example, bears different considerations to the rest of your home.

Luckily, there are certain rules and principles one can follow to make the decision-making process more straightforward. It really comes down to thinking about the function your space is serving and what you want to get out of it. After that, everything gracefully falls into place.

So let’s take a look at some of the questions you should ask yourself when selecting the right window furnishings for your kitchen and explore some of the aforementioned rules.

What Should I Consider When Buying Kitchen Curtains or Blinds?

Considering window furnishings for the kitchen is as much about style as it is about function. You want furnishings that look good and fit in with the rest of your home but are able to cope with the often harsh conditions of a kitchen.

Here are the most important things to keep in mind when buying kitchen blinds or curtains:

  • Think about the style: What does your kitchen look like? If your home has a certain theme, then you should choose blinds that will fit in.
  • Get a suitable material: If you’re an avid cook, a fabric curtain may not be the best idea for you.
  • Consider your window: Do you have a window or a skylight? Does the window open? A vertical blind, for instance, may not give you easy access like a Venetian.
  • Set the mood: The thicker the material, the better it will block out the light. Think about what you want your kitchen to say. Is it a communal space for family breakfasts or an intimate culinary lab?
  • Think of the cleaning: Kitchens are full of steam, grease, and dirt, none of which are friendly to window furnishings. Consider how easy your furnishing is to clean and maintain.

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasyFace-fitted, Dual Roller Blinds in Neotec Sheer & Quay Blockout Fabric

What Are the Typical Options for Kitchen Blinds?

You want blinds that are easy to operate and give ample access to light when needed. Think about the kind of mood you want to set when you’re cooking a big breakfast on a Sunday morning or experimenting on a Friday evening.

Your usual options for kitchen blinds all have two things in common—they are easily operated and come in a range of styles:

  • Venetian blinds: Horizontal slats placed one above the other, which can be adjusted to let the light in or block it out.
  • Roman blinds: These are suspended by cords you pull on in order to uncover the window. The cloth is usually folded, so it doesn’t offer the same versatility as a Venetian blind, for instance.
  • Roller blinds: Like Roman blinds, these are also made from uninterrupted cloth. However, they are operated by a corded mechanism.
  • Shutters: These add a touch of pastoral charm to your kitchen and can be easily manipulated in order to let the sunshine in.

Consider the tone you want to see for your kitchen – elegant and sophisticated or homey and pastoral?

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasyTimber Shutters

What About Curtains?

You’ll notice curtains were conspicuously absent from our list and there’s a good reason for that. Firstly, curtains, if not made from fire retardant materials and installed properly, can pose a safety risk, but more importantly, they tend to absorb the odors from your cooking.

However, if your kitchen is part of an open-space plan (for instance, you have a patio door opening that goes into the garden), then you may be able to pull off the curtain look without worrying about any smells potentially becoming trapped. Keep in mind, however, that fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and velvet are more prone to absorbing odours.

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasyS-fold Curtain in Allusion – Silver Sheer Fabric

What Materials Should I Use?

Once you’ve decided on the style of window furnishing you want to use, it’s time to start thinking about what type of materials your furnishing will be made from. Obviously, the decision will sometimes be made for you, such as in the case of plantation shutters.

The two things to consider once again when thinking about materials or different fabrics is how they will impact the look of your furnishings and how they will serve you functionally. Let’s take Venetian blinds, for example. They can be made out of:

  • Wood: Wood is simple and charming, and you can leave it exposed or have it painted to match your colour palette. However, you will need very good ventilation or lots of incoming air, or you may find the wood warping if exposed to steam and humidity for too long.
  • Faux Wood: These look just like wood blinds only without the functional drawbacks. Mixing wood and PVC, they are much better at withstanding humid conditions, however, some may not like the idea of using “man-made” materials.
  • Metal: Metal is a solid go-to for Venetian blinds as it’s stylish and elegant, but can also be cleaned easily once it begins to accumulate grease and dirt. However, metal may not necessarily fit in with the motifs of all kitchen designs.
  • Plastic: Just like metal, plastic is popular due to its low-maintenance qualities. It may not be as robust, but it will not be affected by the humidity of the kitchen.

Whatever your style of furnishing, remember to balance your design ideas with the realities of what goes on in a hot, steamy, messy kitchen.

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasyBlack Roller Blinds

RELATED: How To Design A kitchen in 10 Easy Steps

RELATED: 34 Kitchen Design Mistakes To Avoid

How Do I Connect My Kitchen Blinds to My Open Plan Living Areas?

Kitchens are often connected to other rooms, which poses a problem once we remember the fact that different rooms have different design considerations. Kitchens can be connected to living rooms, dining rooms, and other areas of the home, and you’ll want a consistent look and feel throughout the space.

So, what do we do when we want curtains for our living room but need blinds in the kitchen? Connect the two areas with a motif. This can be anything, whether it’s a certain pattern or even just a colour.

You don’t need the exact same furnishing in both areas. Instead, if your kitchen blinds are red, opt for living room curtains with red stripes in the same shade.

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasySheer Curtain on Pencil Pleat Heading with James Dunlop – Cavalier Cloud Fabric

What If I Have a Skylight?

Skylights are more troublesome to cover since they do not have a vertical position. In these circumstances, you can pretty much use any type of blinds, so long as you have a rail in place on the margins. Venetian, roller and Roman blinds are the most popular option in these circumstances.

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasyBlockout Roller Blinds in Kitchen & Living Space

Can I Motorize or Connect Them to My Mobile Phone?

You can get motorised solutions tailored to your requirements. This way your blinds can be operated if you’re at home or out and about. They’re perfect for those who want privacy but don’t want to get up and arrange each blind in the home or for when you’re on vacation and wish to make it appear as though someone is home.

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and EasyReveal Fit Roller Blinds in Neotec – Midnight Fabric

 

Lovelight provides specialist window furnishings for volume builders, architects & designers, developers, investors, custom homes, owner and small builders, and homeowners.
Visit their gallery for kitchen blind ideas.

 

 

Kitchen Blinds 101 - A Quick and Easy



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